First of all I want to say just how thankful I am to be able to be here at this time. I can't think of another place I'd rather be. It has been quite stretching at times at the CTC the past two days with all of the various things that need to be done. I have been really stretched in some ways like dumping buckets of diarrhea and vomit or just the daily cleaning duty's. It has been my job during our day shift (8am-4pm) to dump about 8-9 full buckets of waste. I have to load it into our gator and haul it off down the very bumpy trail to the original cholera treatment center where there is a hole about 8 foot deep that we dump it into. I've had a few nasty experiences that have been very disgusting like a lid coming off because of bouncing around so much which leaves a terribly disgusting mess all over the other buckets. That means an extra long time of cleaning and spraying down with bleach.
One of the highlights with the CTC for me has been the evenings spent with some of the other staff on top of the depot/CTC roof. We will often gather up there to sing and talk for awhile. Some of us also had a little prayer meeting up there the other night which was a special time to lift up the CTC and the staff involved.
It went good because Anita was able to get it into the vein the first time without too much pain. After my IV ran dry I decided to put an IV into one of our Haitian guards who really wanted to get one. I was also able to get it the first try which wasn't too surprising because he had really big veins. It helped all of us to get a better idea on how to stick an IV into somebody.
One of the highlights with the CTC for me has been the evenings spent with some of the other staff on top of the depot/CTC roof. We will often gather up there to sing and talk for awhile. Some of us also had a little prayer meeting up there the other night which was a special time to lift up the CTC and the staff involved. Another one of the highlights for me has been seeing people come in, some of which look deathly ill, and then watching them walk out a few days later...healthy. When we have children come in, it can really brighten your day to watch them overcome their cholera; some of them will start singing to themselves or just smile at you as you walk by.
The other evening there were several of us on duty at the CTC just sitting in the nurse's station/supply room talking about what it would be like to get an IV. After a lot of contemplation we decided to give each other an IV to see what it felt like and to know what to do different when we give them to our patients. It was quite the experience because I had never had one before.
It went good because Anita was able to get it into the vein the first time without too much pain. After my IV ran dry I decided to put an IV into one of our Haitian guards who really wanted to get one. I was also able to get it the first try which wasn't too surprising because he had really big veins. It helped all of us to get a better idea on how to stick an IV into somebody. I am very thankful that I have this privilege to be here and help the Haitians with this cholera epidemic. It has helped me to see just how blessed and how easy of a life I have in the states, which gives me more of a heart for the Haitian people!!!
-Jared Stump
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